Should I upgrade RAM or other parts in my slow 2017 Retina 5k iMac for better performance?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.7
Question marked as
This iMac had 8GB RAM and a 2 TB Fusion drive as a standard configuration. If that is what you have, then yes, the RAM can be upgraded per OWC as you have four memory slots. The Fusion drive is a huge performance deficit.
If you have a Fusion drive, instead of Apple's 512 GB -> 2 TB SSD option, then you can speed up the storage solution with a new USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 SSD (1TB or greater, Envoy) whose cable plugs into one of the Thunderbolt 3 ports. You install macOS on that external drive and change your startup drive from the Fusion drive to the external device. You will be amazed at the performance increase over the Fusion drive.